Apparatus for barbecuing chicken and other fowl



Aug. 22, 1950 Fned .Jan 14 194e L. G. SAGEN Aug. 22., 1950 APPARATUS FOR BARBECUING CHICKEN AND OTHER FOWL I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1948 Lawrence .6. Sagen INVENTOR.

Q BY Aug. 22, 1950 l.. @..sAGl-:N 2,520,057

APPARATUS FOR BARBECUING CHICKEN AND GTI-1ER FOWL' Filed Jan. 14, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Lawrence 6. Sagen JNVENTOR.

BY wwim.

WWW Mgzm Patented ug. 22, 95

APPARATUS FOR BARBECUING CHICKEN AND OTHER FOVVL Lawrence G. Sagen, Auburn, N. Y., assignor of one-half to William T. Sorensen, Sait Lake City, Utah, and one-half to Alvin 0. Sagen, Pensacola, Fla.

Application January 14, 1948, Seriai No. 2,276

finally broiling the same on display and in succession over an open hot re.

Still another object is to provide apparatus for the above purposes, which is simple in construction, will not get out of order from prolongedl use, and is inexpensive to install, operate, land manufacture.

Other and subordinate objects, within the purview of my invention, together with the precise nature of my improvements will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a view in perspective of my improved apparatus in a preferred embodiment thereof;

Figure 2 is a view in vertical section taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View in vertical sec tion taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2 and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed view in perspective, partly in section, drawn to a still larger scale;

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of one-of the spit rod holders;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in side elevation illustrating how the spit rods are unloaded from the conveyor cables;

Figure 7 is a view in side elevation, partly in.

prises a generally rectangular base i .of brick, or

weleens. (or. see-42o) other suitable material, having a rectangular top recess 2 therein open at what constitutes the back of said base i with a closed bottom 3, and in which is slidably fitted, for withdrawal at the back of the recess 2, an open back, open top, fire box li for burning fuel such as charcoal, not shown, on a suitable grate 5 therein. The grate 5l is adapted to be supported in the re box 4 on angle bars arranged in upper and lower pairs 6, I onto which said grate 5 may be slid selectively for varying the spacing thereof from the bottom of said lire bex 4 to provide an ash pit 8 in said box' below said grate 5. An upwardly opening door S hinged to the back of the base I,

as at Iii, provides for closing the back of said recess 2 and the backof the vfire box 4. A suitable slide damper Ii' in said door 8 provides for variable updraft `insaid fire box 4. Below the bottom 3 of the recess 2, the base I is hollow to provide a warming. oven I2, which may be entirely closed in any suitable manner if desired.

IA stack I3 of rectangular shape in cross section arises from the' top of the base I with sides Ili substantially flush-with the sides of said base,

' and frontend rear walls l5, I6 tapering upwardly, for better updraft through said stack. The front wall I5 of the stack I3 sets back from the front of 'the basel for a purpose presently seen. .A covering il ci" suitable heat insulating material is provided on said stack i3. The stack I3 functions as a chimney and forms a vertically elongated pre-cooking chamber I3 for slow cooking therein, as presently described.

Pairs of side by side, endless, conveyor cables ISL-29 extend upwardly from lthe base I into the stack I3 for a substantial distance at opposite sides of said base l and stack I3 and from a pair of lower grcoved wheels 2i, 22 in said basev I to a pair of relatively smaller upper idler wheels 23, 24 in said stack I3. The lower pair of wheels 2 I, 22'constitute drive wheels for the pairs of conveyor cables Iii, '28 and run in side wells 25, 2S formed in the base i and at opposite sides `of said recess 2,'said wheels 2l, 22 being suitably xed on a horizontal shaft 2l extending through the base l from side tc side thereof and through a' of said yoke to tighten said pairs of conveyor cables I9, 28. Coil springs 35 suitably interposed between said yoke 33 and brackets 36 on the stack I3 urge said yoke into cable tightening position. For reasons presently seen, the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 are operated upwardly at the rear of the stack I3 and downwardly at the front of said stack.

Means are provided for operating the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 with a step by step movement comprising the following. A hand Wheel 31, with a lateral, circumferential flange 38 is suitably liXed on one end of the shaft 21 at one side of the base I. An upstanding holding dog 39 is pivoted, as at 49, on a loor bracket 4I to enter equidistantly spaced notches 42 in said flange 38, and is tensioned by a spring 43 to snap into said notches. The spring 43 is suitably connected to said dog 39 at the base I. A pair of oppositely extending pedal bars 44, 45 are pivoted intermediate the ends thereof, as at 46, 41, on one side of the base I with juxtaposed ends underlying a lateral shoulder 48 on the holding dog 39, so that depression of the other ends of said pedal bars 44, 45 will result in swinging of said holding dog 39 out of the notches 42. As shown in Figure 1, the pedal bars 44, 45 are arranged to be operated by foot, one at the front and the other at the rear of the base I, a particular advantage of which will presently appear.

Spit rod holders 49 of C-shape are spaced at equidistant points along the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 in opposed pairs with back clips 50 thereon fastening said cables together in pairs.

Round spit rods I are rotatably supported adjacent tlie ends thereof in said pairs of holders 49 and are removable at the front of the stack I3 from said pairs of holders and adapted to be loaded into said pairs of holders at the rear of said stack. Cross skewers 52 on the spit rods 5I provide for impaling the split carcasses of fowls straddling said spit rods 5|, as shown at 53 in dotted lines in Figure 'l whereby said carcasses may be fastened onto said rods. Resilient tongs 54 are provided for straddling' the carcasses 53 cross-wise and holding the sides thereof together.

In the rear wall I6 of the stack I3 is a suitable door 55 through which spit rods 5I with carcasses 53 of fowl fastened thereon, as described, may be loaded into opposed pairs of holders 49 through the back of the stack I3, as said pairs of holders 49 are caused to travel intoa position opposite said door.

The spit rods 5I are designed to be unloaded at the front and bottom of the stack I3 to form, successively, part of a rotisserie, now to be described.

An open front hood 56, with sides 51 rising from opposite sides of the base I, and an upwardly and rearwardly slanting top 58 is provided at the front and bottom of the stack I3 and suitably secured in place with the sides 51 co-planar with the sides I4 of said stack. The hood 56 extends over the front part of the fire box 4 and opens at its back into the stack I3. A bearing block 58 with a top notch 59 therein is suitably fixed on the base I under the hood 56 at one side of said hood. An open top box 66, for a spit rod drive, presently described, is suitably iixed on said base I, under said hocd 56 at the opposite side of said hood. A pair of horizontal, knurled, cross pins 6I are rotatably mounted in said box SII-,one of which is adapted to be driven by a worm wheel 62 fastened thereon and meshing with a worm 63 fastened on a drive shaft 64 suitably journaled in said box 66 and extending rearwardly therefrom into the bottom of the stack I3. A suitable motor 65 on the base I is operatively connected to said drive shaft 64. The motor 65 may be connected to any suitable source of power and controlled by any suitable means, not shown, since the same form, per se, no part of this invention.

The spit rods 5I are adapted to be unloaded to roll at one end into the notch 59, to be rotated therein, and are each provided with a knurled wheel 66 thereon adjacent the other end designed to roll into the box 60 onto the pins 5I to be rotated by the driven one of said pins.

For unloading the spit rods 5I, a pair of unloading track rails 61, 68 incline downwardly and forwardly out of the stack I3 through the back of the hood 56 to the top of the bearing block 58 and the top of the box 6U, with upper ends extending past the front runs of the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 at the outer sides of said pairs, so that the ends of the spit rods 5I will be fed by a downward travel of said front runs onto said rails 61, 68. In this connection, it is to be noted that the upper ends of said rails 61, 68 are arranged relative to the pairs of holders 49 to cause the ends of the spit rods 5I to be cammed forwardly out of the pairs of holders 49 whereby said spit rods 5I are unloaded to roll down said rails. The lower end of one rail 61 is arranged to direct one end of the unloaded spit rods 5I into the bearing notch 59, and the lower end of the rail 68 is arranged to direct the `corresponding end of the spit rods 5I so that the wheels 66 of said spit rods will enter the top of the box and seat on the pair of pins 6I.

At one side of the stack I3, an upwardly inclined ilue 69 opens into the same at a suitable point for introducing smoke, for instance from a hickory wood lire, not shown, into said stack I3 between the upper ends of the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 and the point of unloading of the spit rods 5I.

Electric heaters 10, 1I may be installed in the stack I3 in the front and rear of the front run of the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 and substantially opposite the position at which the spit rods 5I are unloaded. The electric heaters 10, 1I act as booster heaters in the stack I3 upon opposite sides of carcasses fastened on a spit rod 5I about to be unloaded.

The manner in which the described apparatus is designed to be operated will be readily understood.

The hand wheel 31 is rotated intermittently in the proper direction to operate the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 in the direction described, step by step. The holding dog 39 is released by means of one or the other of the pedal bars 44, 45 at the beginning of each phase of operation of said wheel 31 and permitted to snap into one of the notches 42 at the end of the phase of operation of said wheel. At each phase of operation of the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 20 a pair of the spit rod holders 49 is elevated at the rear of the apparatus into a position before the door 55 so that a spit rod 5I, loaded with carcasses 53 thereon, may be loaded into said pair of holders. Successive pairs of spit rod holders 49 may thus be loaded with loaded spit rods 5I until the leading spit rod 5I comes into unloading position over the track rails 61, 68. Now, with fuel burning in the re box 4, the carcasses 53 loaded into the apparatus may be subjected to slow precooking by the heat escaping up the stack I3. Also.

such carcasses 53 may be smoked, through the medium of the flue 69 in a manner already described, to impart additional flavor thereto while the slow cooking is progressing. When a cooked fowl is desired, the hand wheel 31 may be operated, one phase, whereupn the leading spit rod 5| will be unloaded from its holders 59, which is to say the pairs of conveyor cables I9, 2i), onto the track rails El, E8, in the manner previously described, to roll down said rails and form part of the described rotisserie in which, the motor E55 being in operation, the carcasses 53 on the unloaded spit rod will be barbecued over a hot fire, on display, and to suit the ordering customer. As will be understood, the unloaded spit rod 5i loaded with carcasses 53, or a carcass, is slowly revolved over the open fire by the means already described. By lifting the spit rod 5i on which the barbecued carcass has been cooked out of the notch 59, and the wheel t5 of said rod out of the box 69, said rod may be removed forwardly out of the hood 56 and the barbecued carcass 53, or carcasses, removed in a manner which will be clear and for service at will. The next spit rod 5l may then be brought into position for unloadu ing, and another loaded spit rod 5| loaded into the apparatus into the rear thereof, and these operations repeated as occasion may require. At any time, when cooking is not desired, and with the apparatus loaded, or partly loaded, the fire may be drawn by withdrawing the fire box l from the recess 2. Of course, the hand wheel may be operated to feed, or operate, the pairs of conveyor cables I9, ZS otherwise then step by step if such operation is desired, and by spinning said wheel with the holding dog 39 disengaged.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susm ceptible of modification, without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. In apparatus of the class described, a base, an open top lire box in the top of said base for an open nre, a stack arising from said base over said nre box and forming a vertically elongated slow coo-king chamber therein, a rotisserie cooker at the base of Said stack for broiling the whole carcasses of fowl directly over said fire on rotary spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with carcasses to be broiled, means for conveying the loaded spit rods upwardly into said chamber and downwardly to said rotisserie cooker for slow cooking in said chamber prior to cooking of the carcasses in said rotisserie cooker, means for unloading said downwardly conveyed spit rods successively at will into said rotisserie cooker one at a time, and means for rotating each spit rod in said rotisserie cooker.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a base, an open top fire box in the top of said base for an open nre, a stack arising from said base over said re box and forming a vertically elongated slow cooking chamber therein, a rotisserie cooker at the base of said stack for broiling the whole carcasses of fowl directly over said fire on rotary spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with carcasses to be broiled, means for conveying the loaded spit rods upwardly into said chamber and downwardly to said rotisserie cooker for slow cooking in said chamber prior to cooking of the carcasses in said rotisserie cooker, means for unloading said downwardly conveyed spit rods successively at will into said rotisserie cooker one at a time, means for rotating each spit rod in said rotisserie cooker, the first mentioned means comprising vertically extending endless conveyor cables in said stack at opposite sides thereof having spit rod holders thereon arranged in opposed horizontally aligned pairs for loading of opposite ends of the spit rods in said pairs, and lmeans for rotating said cables step -by step in unison.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a base, an Vopen top nre box in the top of said base for an open re, a stack arising from said base over said fire box and forming a vertically elongated slow cooking chamber therein, a rotisserie cooker at the base of said stack for broiling the whole carcasses of fowl directly over said re on rotary spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with carcasses to be broiled, means for conveying the loaded spit rods upwardly into said chamber and downwardly to said rotisserie cooker for slow cooking in said chamber prior to cooking of the carcasses in said rotisserie cooker, means for unloading said downwardly conveyed spit rods successively at will into said rotisserie cooker one at a time, means for rotating each spit rod in said rotisserie cooker, and means for introducing a, flavoring smoke into said stack from an outside source for flavoring the carcasses during slow cooking.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a base, an open top nre box in the top of said base for an open fire, a stack arising from said base over said nre box and forming a vertically elongated slow cooking chamber therein, a rotisserie cooker at the base of said stack for broiling the whole carcasses of fowl directly over said re on rotary spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with carcasses to be broiled, means for conveying the loaded spit rods upwardly into said chamber and downwardly to said rotisserie cooker for slow cooking in said chamber prior to cooking of the carcasses in said rotisserie cooker,

means for unloading said downwardly conveyed spit rods successively at will into said rotisserie cooker one at a time, means for rotating each spit rod in said rotisserie cooker, said unloading means vbeing constructed and arranged for gravity feed of said spit rods from said conveying means forwardly therefrom" into said rotisserie cooker.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a base, an open top lire box in the top of said base for an open re, a stack arising from said base over said re box and forming a vertically elongated slow cooking chamber therein, a rotisserie cooker at the base of said stack for broiling the whole carcasses of fowl directly over said re on rotary spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with carcasses to be broiled, means for conveying the loaded spit rods upwardly into said chamber and downwardly to said rotisserie cooker for slow cooking in said chamber prior to cooking of the carcasses in said rotisserie cooker, means for unloading said downwardly conveyed spit rods successively at will into said rotisserie cooker one at a time, and means for rotating each spit rod in said rotisserie cooker comprising a motor driven worm drive for rotating said Spit rod slowly.

6. In apparatus of the class described, an open top fire box, a stack arising from said re box and forming a vertically elongated slow cooking chamber therein, said nre box extending forwardly of said stack to form an open cooker at the bottom of said stack for broiling the carcasses of fowl directly over said 'lre on spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with carcasses of fowl to be broiled, and means for conveying the split rods upwardly in Said chamber and then downwardly to said cooker for slow cooking of said carcasses preparatory to cooking over sai-d cooker .comprising a pair' of laterally spaced conveyor cables with open clips thereon for supporting said spit rods for lifting out of the same, means for rotatably supporting said spit rods over said slow cooker comprising a, pair of rotary laterally spaced pins for seating one end of said rods thereon, means for lifting said spit rods from said clips for rolling under the inuence of gravity onto said supporting means comprising a pair of track members inclining out of the path of downward movement of said spit rods downwardly to said supporting means to intercept said spit rods during downward movement thereof and lift the same out of said clips for rolling down said members onto the supporting means, and means for rotating one of said pins to cause rotation of the spit rods on said supporting means.

7. In apparatus of the class described, an open top rlre box for cooking with an open rlre and having a front side, a rotisserie cooker above said fire box `at said front side thereof for broiling the carcasses of fowl directly over said open re on rotating spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with the carcasses to be broile-d, means for suspending said spit rods over said re box in the rear of Isaid cooker and conveying the same upwardly and downwardly for slow cooking of the carcasses prior to broiling of the same over said cooker, means for unloading the downwardly conveyed spit rods successively into said rotisserie cooker, and means for rotating each spit rod in said cooker.

8. In apparatus of the class described, an openv top fire box for cooking with an open nre and having a front side, a rotisserie cooker above said fire box at said front side thereof for broiling the carcasses of fowl directly over said open fire on rotating spit rods, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded With carcasses to be broiled, means for suspending said spit rods over said fire lbox in the rear of said cooker and conveying the same upwardly and downwardly for slowr cooking of the carcasses prior to broiling of the same over said cooker, means for unloading the downwardly conveyed spit rods 'successively into said rotisserie cooker, means for rotating each spit rod in said cooker, and means for subjecting the carcasses on the upwardly and downwardly conveyed spit rods to the action of a avoring smoke.

9. In apparatus of the class described, an open top nre box for cooking with an open fire and having a, front side, a stack over said re box forming an elongated slow cooking chamber, a plurality of spit rods for holding meat to be cooked, means for conveying said spit rods step by step upwardly into said chamber over said nre and then downwardly toward said re for slow cooking of the meat in said chamber, means for introducing la avoring smoke into said chainber to flavor the meat, and means for unloading the downwardly conveyed spit rods and discharging the same out of said chamber at the base of said stack and above said front side of said re box successively as the same are fed downwardly.

10. In apparatus of the class described, on open top re box for cooking fowl, a plurality of spit rods adapted to be loaded with the carcasses of owls to be cooked, means for conveying the spit rods downwardly toward said nre fbox comprising a pair of laterally spaced conveyor cables with open clips thereon for supporting said spit rods for lifting out of the same, means for rotatably supporting said spit rods over said fire box for cooking thereover comprising a pair of rotary laterally spaced pins for seating one end of said spit rods, means for lifting said spit rods out of said clips for rolling under the influence of gravity onto said supporting means comprising a pair of track members inclining out of the path of downward movement of said spit rods downwardly to said supporting means to intercept the spit rods during downward movement thereof and lift the same out of said clips for rolling down said members onto said supporting means, and means for rotating one of said pins to cause rotation of the spit rods on said supporting means.

LAWRENCE G. SAGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 694,889 Pooley Mar. 4, 1902 1,776,501 Grady Sept. 23, 1930 2,142,390 Zerr Jan. 3, 1939 

